Indra

Published on 30th April, 2023, in Mid-day. Swarga or paradise of the gods, full of wish-fulfilling trees, damsels and musicians, is described in Buddhist and Jain mythologies, not just Hindu mythology. When Buddha attains nirvana, he first travels to the heaven of 33 gods where he meets his mother (reborn as a god) and then comes down to earth. Many artworks display this episode of Buddha descending from the realm of 33 gods. These are the 33 gods we learn about in Vedic literature. Their leader is called Indra or Sakra. This is his story as per Buddhist lore. Once upon a time, there was ..

Published on 11th December, 2021, in Economic Times. Rig Veda refers to two types of kingship: that of Indra and that of Varuna. Indra is the warrior-god who loves the energising Soma as he rides into battle to kill demons and retrieve cows. He is the god that the Aryans venerated when they were on the move. Varuna was a different god, more linked with settlements, with relationships and agreements, who drank Sura, or the relaxing alcohol. While Indra is linked to power, Varuna is linked to prosperity. Perhaps that is the reason why the oldest verses of Rig Veda refer to Varuna as Asura, ..

Published on 17th October, 2020, in Economic Times. The concept of Indra’s net, or Indrajaal, comes to us from the Atharva Veda. It speaks of Indra capturing his enemies with a net, pinning them to the ground, and smiting them victoriously. Seen metaphorically, Indra-jaal is the web of delusions (maya) that establishes the world. This philosophical idea is elaborated by Buddhists, but in the hands of magicians, is sorcery unleashed on the unsuspecting audience and ends up entrapping the magician himself – much like social media. In Buddhist scriptures, Indra’s net is described as hanging from Mount Meru. It extends in innite directions. Each eye ..

Published on 4th August, 2019, in Mid-day Varuna is known today as the god of the sea and Indra as the god of the rain. Varuna is associated with saltwater, located on the ground, and Indra is associated with freshwater, which comes from the sky. Varuna is the guardian of the western horizon, and Indra, the guardian of the eastern horizon. Thus, we see a tension between the two deities in the Puranas. It is further amplified when we hear that Varuna is Lakshmi's father while Indra's wife, Sachi, is a form of Lakshmi. This tension between Varuna and Indra is an ancient one. In ..

Published on 28th April, 2019, in Mid-day. In traditional Hindu society, dogs are considered inauspicious. This is most evident in dharma shastras, which were put together about 2,000 years ago. Dogs were associated with death, as well as with pollution and, therefore, belonged to the periphery of society. Dog-eater was a common way of describing the Chandala community, who also lived on the periphery of villages and in crematoriums, and were seen as polluting by the rest of the village. In all cultures, certain animals are given high status and low status. In Christianity, for example, the serpent is associated with the devil. In the ..

Published on 14th April, 2019, in Mid-day. The Brahmana, orally transmitted by priests who came to be known as Brahmins, contain instructions and explanations for the Vedic ritual of yagya. All the four Vedic Samhitas have Brahmanas attached to them. The Brahmana associated with Yajurveda is called Taittiriya Brahmana. Here, we find stories related with Indra, which are not commonly told. They explain how kingship was seen in Vedic times, over 3,000 years ago, very different from how kingship came to be seen in Puranic times, in the past 2,000 years, by which time Indra had lost his exalted status and was seen as an ..

Published on 17th March, 2019, in Mid-day. In Hindu astronomy, the sky is divided into 28 parts, or nakshatras, based on 28 different constellations, one of which is supposed to have disappeared so effectively that there remain only 27. These constellations or houses are visualised as goddesses. It is said that the moon god was married to all of them, but he preferred only one of his wives, which is the reason the 28th wife disappeared. The remaining 26 complained to their father, who got so angry with the moon god for preferring one wife over the others, that he cursed the moon god with ..

Published on 16th February, 2019, in Mid-day. When we speak of Indra, we must keep in mind that the scriptures refer to six different types of Indra, belonging to different periods of history. The first is the Vedic Indra. He is the primary god of the Rig Veda, described as riding a chariot, wielding a thunderbolt and releasing waters that are locked in enclosures, or overcoming obstacles known as Vala and Vritra. This is the fierce, warrior god who loves soma (amrit) and is invited to drink it by yagya performers. The second type of Indra appears in Buddhist literature, in which he, along with ..

Published on 19th October, 2018, in the Economic Times. The Vedic Indra did not ride elephants. He rode chariots drawn by horses. The earliest reference to elephant-riding Indra comes to us from Buddhist texts and Buddhist art, such as the one at the Bhaja caves on Mumbai-Pune highway, which is roughly 2000 years old. This idea was incorporated into Puranic tradition, as the old Vedic ways waned and a new form of temple based Hinduism arose, roughly 1500 years ago. The chariot-riding Vedic Indra, described in Rig Vedic hymns, was a warrior-god who killed many demons such as Vritra and who was invoked in yagna ..